Anthony Bourdain Urges Chefs To Reconsider Seal Hunt Ban (Twitter)

The Huffington Post Canada

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PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, CANADA - MARCH 23: A young Harp Seal on a beach on March 23, 2010 on Prince Edward Island in the Northern Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada. This year has been the worst ice year on record in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, meaning that a record number of seal pups are expected to die. Each year hunters travel to the region to hunt the seals for their fur. The IFAW (The International Fund for Animal Welfare) have been documenting the ice conditions in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and discovered that few pups remain. Harp seals need ice for giving birth, nursing and resting, and seal mortality is expected to be very high this year as a result of the poor ice conditions. (Photo by Barcroft Media / Getty Images)

Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain took to Twitter on Monday and urged high-profile chefs to reconsider their stance on the Canadian seal hunt and a boycott on Canadian seafood.

"Seal hunting has been a cornerstone of Inuit culture, nutrition and survival in the Arctic for millennia. Since the introduction of the cash economy in the Canadian Arctic, seal hunting has also been an important factor in the socio-economic well-being of Inuit. Seal hunting in Nunavut occurs year-round and is an important part of daily life in every coastal community."

The IFAW's Canadian chapter responded to Bourdain and pointed out that anti seal hunt campaigners have never opposed the native hunt.

@HuffPostCaLiv We'd like to point out that IFAW, and most animal groups, don't campaign against the Inuit seal hunt. Never have.